


Welcome to Alfor's

by mrsgryffindor



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, M/M, Slow Burn, diner au, the AU you didn't ask for but needed to be told
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2018-12-18 11:24:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11873346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrsgryffindor/pseuds/mrsgryffindor
Summary: They say that hindsight is 20/20, but had Keith known that he would be driving home covered in a half dried strawberry milkshake after the worst shift of his waitstaff career, he probably would have just called in sick. Working with Lance fucking McClain was going to be the death of him. And today was only Lance’s first day.--A Voltron Diner AU.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is rated Mature due to instances of homophobia and bad language. 
> 
> This is my most ambitious work yet, so any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

They say that hindsight is 20/20, but had Keith known that he would be driving home covered in a half dried strawberry milkshake after the worst shift of his waitstaff career, he probably would have just called in sick. Working with Lance fucking McClain was going to be the death of him. And today was only Lance’s first day.

* * *

The day had started off like every other day before. He parked his car in his usual spot right by the exit, got into the diner five minutes early, and snuck a muffin from behind the counter. He waved to Hunk in the kitchen, nodded at Nyma as she took a table’s order and headed towards the back table, where Pidge had spread out before them a stack of books and assorted papers, working diligently despite the bustling noise of the establishment.

“Homework?” Keith asked as he slid into the booth across from them. He unwrapped the muffin and took a large bite.

“College stuff.” Pidge responded, not even bothering to look up from their work.

“Aren’t you like fifteen?”

“Aren’t you a college dropout?” Pidge retorted, scribbling something out and writing over the scribbles, their handwriting illegible to Keith. Pidge was a genius, Keith knew that at least, but their ability to fire out sass and roast people still always surprised him. Weren’t geniuses supposed to be socially inept or something? Keith scoffed in response and finished his muffin, heading back towards the front of the restaurant where he grabbed his apron from the coat hooks and tied it around his waist.

Keith heard the door jingle from behind him and didn’t even bother looking up. He heard Allura’s standard friendly greeting from behind the counter and didn’t think much of it.

“How are _you_ doing?” a voice said to Allura and Keith turned to watch the impending fall out. Anyone with their head screwed on right knew not to mess with Allura. Though small, she was a force of nature, fiercely protective and immune to bullshit. Well, at least Keith’s bullshit.

Allura raised her eyebrows and gave a small laugh. Crossing her arms she said, “You must be Lance.” The brunette in front of her nodded, a crooked smile spread across his face. He took a seat in front of the counter and leaned forward, laser focused on the woman before him. Keith felt a familiar stirring in his stomach but pushed it down - _He’s an idiot,_ he thought, not daring himself to even approach the idea that the guy happened to be _really fucking cute._

Shiro approached the counter. A few inches taller than Allura, he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a look that said, _‘Stand down.’_ Allura begrudgingly obliged, and Shiro gave Lance a smile.

“Welcome to Alfor’s,” he said warmly, extending his hand to Lance.

“Thank you,” Lance replied, shaking his hand, looking around. “You’ve got a great place here, I’m glad to be joining the team.”

Keith’s gut dropped. _Join the team?_ Keith had known that the diner was hiring, and come to think of it, Shiro had mentioned last week that they had found another member of waitstaff. But this idiot? Keith already didn’t like him.

Shiro and Lance conversed some more for a bit as Keith sat down at the counter. Only Shiro pointing at Keith snapped him out of it, and much to his horror, the words “Keith will be training you” fell out of his mouth.

Great. Fucking fantastic.

* * *

 

 

“So, do you remember me?” Lance asked as he trailed behind Keith, both of them making their way to the kitchen during the grand tour. Keith shot him a look as he opened up the door, letting Lance in first.

“How do you not remember me? Lance McClain? We were totally rivals! Aerospace engineering, UT - Austin! We were neck and neck, until you were kicked out of course.”

“I dropped out.”

“Dropped out, whatever. I just can’t believe you don’t remember me.”

Keith opened his mouth to tell this kid that he honestly couldn't care less, but Hunk interrupted him, pushing him aside.

“You must be Lance! Sorry, I’m a hugger. Welcome to our family!” Hunk said, hugging Lance so hard he couldn’t breathe. Keith let out a short laugh as Lance struggled in Hunk’s arms, lightly tapping the cook on the back in a desperate effort to be let go of. Finally, Hunk released Lance and he took a deep breath, a smile still plastered all over his face.

“Thanks, erm…”

“Hunk.”

“Thanks, Hunk! It’s really great to meet you.”

A boy with messy hair and glasses peaked out from behind the grill and waved. “That’s Matt, my second in command. He’s is quite the cook,” Hunk said and Matt smiled at him.

“I bet,” Lance responded and reached his hand out to Matt, who shook it.

“Matt is the older brother of Pidge, who you’ll meet later. You’ll know who Pidge is, those two look very alike,” Hunk said. Lance turned back to smile at Hunk and they continued conversing, and Keith wondered if this kid ever _stopped_ smiling. 

* * *

 

Lance hadn’t expected to have to find a new job. That was the last thing he needed with everything else going on. But Pizza Sal’s had been losing a lot of money lately and they needed to make some cuts. While Lance was under the impression that he was a “vital member of the team,” management happened to think otherwise. So here he was, standing outside a hokey diner in the middle of the desert, ready for his first shift at Alfor’s.

Alfor’s was a bit of a legend, or so he had heard, but to him it just looked like another run-down diner. It was where a lot of the drunk kids on campus went since it was open until midnight and had milkshakes and burgers that could help any hangover, but that’s all he really knew on the matter.

Lance was pretty shocked he had even been hired. He had applied on a whim, after all. The next day though he had gotten a call from a gruff man who turned out to be way more attractive in person than he had sounded on the phone, and within a week, Lance had a job again.

Despite all this, he almost walked right back through those doors on his first day when he caught sight of the tell-tale mullet that belonged to his archrival, Keith Kogane. And judging by the uniform he was wearing, Lance was pretty sure he wasn’t there for a milkshake.

To add insult to injury, that _jerk_ didn’t even remember him. How could he forget the days of sitting in Thermodynamics class and glaring at each other from across the room? Lance would never forget the days of studying so hard he couldn’t think and still ending up number two in the class because of Keith. Then one day he was gone. It was almost satisfying to learn that this is where he had ended up, working at a diner, until of course Lance remembered that he was working at there too. Of all the people in the world he could work with, why did it have to be him?

Everyone else was pretty lit though. There was Hunk, who actually wound up going to UT - Austin too, and was even in engineering too, but mechanical. They had just never run into each until now though, and he knew they were going to be fast friends. Next there was Pidge and Matt. Though siblings, they were vastly different. Pidge was an out of control genius, and funny as hell too. They could whip up a comeback or a roast in record time. Lance couldn’t believe they were only fifteen and was already looking at colleges, and not just any colleges -- Ivy Leagues. That kid was going to cure cancer one day, he was sure of it. Matt on the other hand was also very intelligent, but his genius translated directly into food rather than numbers like Pidge. Having been out of culinary school for a couple of years, he was still working his way up the ladder, but Lance knew he was going places after just one bite of Matt’s signature blueberry pie.

Shiro was pretty great too. As his boss it was his job to be a little intimidating, but Lance could already tell that he was definitely more bark than bite. He too had welcomed him with open arms, and had made a point to sit Lance down and get to know him a little bit before his shift began. Shiro was married to Allura, who, amongst other things, was also super intimidating. Granted, the first thing he’d done when he met her was hit on her so he kind of deserved it, but as soon as Allura had warmed up to him, she was hands down one of the sweetest people he’s ever met. She, like (mostly) everyone else at the diner, had gone out of their way to make Lance feel at home, and he really appreciated that.

Then, of course, there was Nyma. What a _babe._ He didn’t know much about her, but for some reason she seemed to be avoiding him or something. She still seemed pretty nice, and he had caught her laughing at some of his jokes from across the diner. While he came to the diner to work, he didn’t mind the idea of picking up a date while he was there. It had been a while since he had dated anyone -- his last relationship had ended just over six months ago. He was single and ready to mingle. And judging by how many cute people there were to choose from at Alfor’s, he had a very good feeling about his prospects. 

* * *

 

 

Lance was super friendly and that fact alone infuriated Keith. In fact, everything about Lance infuriated him, which Keith would learn as the afternoon wore on.

He continued to be all smiles meeting the rest of the staff, and everyone seemed to fall in love with Lance upon meeting him -- even Pidge, who had taken two whole weeks to even bother to strike up a conversation with Keith when he had started. Despite his vitriol, he understood why his co-workers had become so enamored with him as quick as they did; Lance had this _magnetic pull_ to him, and he had a personality that demanded to be noticed.

Keith might have felt this pull, but he was sure as hell not going to get roped in. Keith considered himself good at his job -- even Shiro had validated that by calling him “the best server they’ve ever had,” and he was _not_ going to let someone like Lance McClain mess that up. Even if he was dancing around the diner, with an apron low on his waist, making an absolute _fool_ of himself.

Lance was on break, and had apparently discovered the radio in the back. Keith hadn’t even noticed at first, busy taking orders and checking up on customers. Then he heard it. Drum beats and tacky electric keyboard. That only meant one thing.

“Is this “Africa” by Toto?” he asked aloud, staring up at the speakers overhead. He could hear Shiro’s laughter behind him.

“I haven’t heard this song in ages!” Shiro commented, and Lance popped out from the back, a winning smile on his face.

“This is objectively the best song ever created,” he said and Keith rolled his eyes. _Was he serious?_ Granted, Keith’s taste in music was drastically different than most, but everyone knew that Toto was lame. He was about to inform Lance of this fact, and then he started _dancing._

_“I bless the rains down in Africa!”_ Lance sung along, loud, proud, and terribly off-key. Keith resisted the urge to burst out laughing as Lance swung around the diner, raising and lowering his arms in swift, fluid motions, in a way that was both flawless and terribly embarrassing. Even the diner patrons were laughing at the new kid, one small boy raising his hand to give Lance a high five. He continued to sing along passionately, making it to the second chorus before reaching out a hand to Keith.

“No, absolutely not,” Keith said, crossing his arms. Lance grabbed his forearm and dragged him to the middle of the diner, where he continued to dance around him.

_“It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you!”_ Lance shouted as he pointed at Keith. Keith felt his face heat up and looked away. _This is so gay,_ he thought, and felt another pang in his stomach. Yeah, it _was_ gay. No. He was not going to go there.

The song finished and there was applause. Lance over dramatically bowed, soaking in all the attention. Keith rolled his eyes yet again, and put on his best scowl. He was not going to let Lance ruin this for him. 

* * *

 

“This is for table ten.” Matt said as he passed Lance a plate. Keith had been breathing down his neck all day, and he had finally gone on break, probably disappearing into the back to brood or something. Training with Keith had been long and so totally boring and Lance would be the first to admit that he didn’t quite retain everything he was taught but hey, he’d wing it. This was the first time all day that he was left to his own devices, and Lance was determined to prove himself.

This, of course, didn’t happen.

Listen, it wasn’t his fault that he was easily distracted. That was just a part of his personality. Sure, he didn’t exactly advertise it or put it on his resume, but distractibility came with the Lance McClain Package Deal.

Plus, in his defense, he simply wasn’t used to this line of work. Foolishly, he had thought that waiting tables would be pretty similar to making garlic knots in the back like at Pizza Sal’s, but turns out there was a _lot_ more than meets the eye about being a member of waitstaff than he had ever imagined.

But this? This was easy stuff. All he had to do was take a plate out to a table, smile, and ask them if they needed anything before leaving them alone. He could do this. Or not.

As he carried the triple-deluxe burger with extra pickles and fries out of the kitchen, he quickly and starkly realized that he had no idea where table ten even was. He felt like kicking himself, he had _just_ taken this order not fifteen minutes ago with Keith. He glanced to the back of the restaurant and spotted Keith, debating whether or not to ask him where this table was, but he realized quickly that he would probably never let Lance live this moment down. Swallowing thickly and feeling his anxiety rise, Lance realized he was on his own on this one.

Come _on._ This was supposed to be _easy._ Lance scanned the restaurant hopelessly, looking for a number or _something_ on the tables to indicate where this giant burger was meant to go, but came up empty. Keith had even been over this, touching every table as they passed by at the beginning of the day and telling him table numbers. Lance, of course, was distracted at the time, trying to catch Nyma’s eye to send a wink her way. How could he be so _stupid?_

_What’s the worst that could happen?_ Lance thought, and suddenly, his mind played out a scenario: He delivers the burger to the wrong table and a customer takes a bite. The customer immediately begins choking, having an allergic reaction to the food. Screaming erupts from the entire diner, and before someone can even call 911, the customer falls to the ground, dead. Shiro’s angry. He gets fired, or possibly arrested. The end.

That wouldn’t do.

Taking a few deep breaths, Lance exhausted every option before making up his mind. He was going to go to the nearest table and give them the food before it got cold. If it was wrong, he prayed that the customers would correct him.

Approaching the table, he went to put the plate down, but instead felt a hand wrap around his elbow.

“This is table nine, dumbass.” He heard none other than Keith mutter, and Keith grabbed the plate out of his hands, moving to the next table over. He gingerly placed the plate in front of the man sitting at the table, and actually fucking _smiled._

“Do you need anything else, sir?” Keith asked and the customer shook his head. Keith folded his hands together and nodded, leaving the man to his meal. Brushing past Lance, Keith made his way to the front and sat down at the counter, striking up a conversation with Shiro - presumably about what just happened. Lance felt his stomach drop.

So much for proving himself. 

* * *

 

 

As the shift continued, Keith expected Lance’s energy to dwindle, but of course, Lance fucking McClain was full of surprises. After the “Africa” incident, Keith had banned Lance from the back of the restaurant, but that didn’t stop him from causing more trouble elsewhere.

Things only escalated when Shiro had suggested to Keith that he should train Lance on the milkshake machine. Keith had immediately refused, because quite frankly he had had enough for one day, but Lance had other ideas, and had practically skipped to the back, actually eager to learn something for the first time that day.

“I’ve never made a milkshake before!” He announced loudly.

“Are you even a real person?” Keith responded, pulling out the proper ingredients for the shake, placing them on the counter.

The two began cutting up strawberries, and Keith showed Lance the proper amounts of milk and ice cream to add to the mix. “Almost ready, I just have to find…” Keith trailed off, looking for the top of the blender in the kitchen. Just as he spotted the lid, Lance reached for the blender and switched it on. Bits of strawberry milkshake rained down, and Keith was covered. Immediately, he felt an explosion of anger and shoved Lance aside, turning off the blender.

“What the fuck were you thinking, Lance?”

“You said it was ready. Besides, red looks good on you.”

“I said it was almost ready, you fucking idiot! You have to put the _lid_ on the blender before you use it, everyone knows that! Can’t you do anything right?” He shouted. Lance’s face fell, taken aback. He saw sadness flash in his eyes for a moment, Lance opening his mouth to say something but stopping himself.

“Get out,” Keith growled, “Be back here tomorrow, actually ready to work for once.” With that, Lance turned on his heel, pushing past Matt and Hunk, who had appeared at the threshold when Keith had started screaming. He exited the diner with a huff, and Keith remained in the kitchen, fuming. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop, and after a few moments Hunk and Matt left, Shiro replacing them in the threshold.

Keith looked up to see that Shiro had entered the room. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. _I am in deep shit now,_ Keith thought to himself, opening his eyes and crossing his arms.

“You do realize that now that you’ve kicked Lance out, you’ve got to clean this mess up all by yourself, right?” Shiro finally spoke, eliciting a deep sigh from Keith. He looked around the kitchen -- he had to give it to him, Lance had created an impressive mess in the mere minutes he had been in the kitchen. It was going to take a least an hour to clean up. Keith grabbed a rag from the cabinet above the stove and began to clean the countertop, not able to make eye contact with Shiro. Yeah, Lance was a fucking idiot, but as soon as the anger cleared his head he realized that perhaps he shouldn’t had been so hard on him. It was only his first day.

Shiro appeared behind him with a rag and Keith nodded with appreciation at him. He was right, it took well over an hour to clean the place up, and by the time they were done, Keith was exhausted.

“Go home.” Shiro said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Come back tomorrow with a better attitude.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains description of homophobia and some light mentions of blood.

Lance McClain was not an angry person, thank you very much. He prided himself in being as  _ chill  _ as humanly possible, and vowing not to hold grudges for long. Holding grudges just wasn’t on brand for him, especially if he wanted to sell himself as a charming, happy go-lucky guy. 

But after Keith’s outburst last night? Well, this was a whole new ball game.

Lance couldn’t even remember the last time he had been this angry. He had arrived home the night before furious, and had screamed at his mother for over an hour about what Keith had said to him. Despite his fury, his mother had listened intently, and had even tried to console him -- to no avail. Lance had hoped that he might sleep off his rage, but awoke that morning just as angry as the night before.

He was getting his fucking apology, so help him  _ God. _

It took nearly everything out of him not to hit Keith Kogane with his car when he saw him in the parking lot that morning. White knuckling the steering wheel, Lance parked his car far away from Keith’s and tried to take some calming breaths. They helped a tiny bit at first, but then he thought back to Keith’s words --  _ “Can’t you do anything right?”  _ \- and felt the anger in the pit of his stomach return.

Exiting his vehicle, Lance marched himself right up to Keith, who was sitting on the hood of his car, texting with headphones in. 

“Hey asshole!” Lance called as he reached Keith. Keith stared at him blankly, finally removing an earbud to acknowledge him.

“Yes?”

“What the  _ fuck  _ was that yesterday?”

Keith scoffed. Did this kid have any idea of what he had even done? He and Shiro had been at the diner two hours past closing cleaning up the disaster that Lance had inflicted. If anything, Lance owed  _ Keith  _ an apology… 

Keith softened. He  _ had  _ been pretty hard on Lance last night, and as usual, he let anger get the best of him. Maybe he shouldn’t had been so harsh with him on his day, despite the fact that he probably deserved it.  _ “Come back tomorrow with a better attitude,”  _ Shiro had said to him last night -- all right, he could do that. 

Keith opened his mouth to apologize, but Lance stiffened and balled his hands into fists. Alright. Keith could feel his blood pressure start to rise again, but it would  _ skyrocket  _ as soon as Lance started screaming.

“You’re a fucking prick, you know that? Never, in my  _ life _ have I met a bigger dick than you, Jesus fucking  _ Christ! _ ”

“Is that really all you’ve got?” 

Lance thought he was about to explode. Or cry. Or both, really. 

“You know, you’ve got a reputation over at school. People called you the arrogant prick who failed out because he thought he was so much better than everyone else! And you know what, I had always thought that they were wrong. I always thought that they should give you a chance, maybe you were an okay dude... And talking to you, right now, proves them all right.”

Keith’s blood pressure had reached an ultimate high, and he slid off his car. As he advanced towards Lance, ready to all out pummel him, he felt a hand grab his arm, holding him back.

“Enough.” Shiro said, surprisingly calm considering the circumstances. He got in between the two, extending both arms to keep them separated.

A silence fell upon the parking lot, and Lance felt a few tears slide down his face. He always wound up crying when he got too angry, and he tried to discreetly wipe away the tears in a way that Keith wouldn’t see. Lance couldn’t even make eye contact with Keith, too embarrassed and furious.

“Listen, I don’t know what’s happened between the two of you, but it’s time to leave the past in the past. You both work here now, and you’re going to have to learn to deal with that, or quit. I will not allow this behavior in my diner. That said, I think apologies are owed on both sides.” Shiro broke the silence, glancing at Keith and Lance.

Keith took a deep breath, looking up at Lance. For the first time, he noticed that Lance had been crying, and he felt a pang in his stomach. He always knew he had problems with his anger, but he never had intentions of making anyone cry. He extended his hand to Lance.

“Lance, I’m sorry. You’re right - I am a dick, and I apologize for that.” He said sincerely, but not willingly, Lance noted. He reluctantly took his hand and shook it

“I’m sorry too, for erm, blowing up just now. Also for wrecking the kitchen yesterday.”

Shiro nodded, and patted both boys on the back before returning to the diner. Keith turned to see the rest of the staff scurrying into the restaurant, obviously trying not to get caught eavesdropping on Keith and Lance’s fight. Keith gave a small huff and turned to Lance, giving him a small smile.

“Let’s get to work.”

* * *

A few days later Lance pulled into the parking lot to see Keith waiting outside his car. This was not unusual, Lance had learned that Keith liked to hang outside sometimes and get some fresh air during his breaks. As Lance got out of his car and headed towards the diner, he gave Keith a little wave, continuing on his way.

He did a double take. Was Keith  _ bleeding? _

Lance rushed to Keith’s side and his suspicion was confirmed - blood was gushing out of Keith’s nose, and he also had a noticeable black eye. His knuckles too were bleeding.

“What the fuck happened?” Lance asked, instinctively reaching down and tearing off a piece of his shirt, offering it to Keith. He took it and held it to his nose to catch the blood, and Lance helplessly watched as the strip of fabric was stained crimson rapidly.

Keith did not respond, instead averting his eyes elsewhere. Lance could tell that Keith was ashamed, of what he did not know. Lance reached out and pinched the bridge of Keith’s nose. Keith immediately looked up at him, and for the first time he noticed how  _ defeated  _ Keith looked. Something terrible had happened, and Lance knew it.

After a few minutes the bleeding slowed, and Keith seemed to relax a little bit. Moving to sit atop his car, he took over pinching his nose. Lance tentatively sat next to Keith on the hood of his car, making sure to maintain some distance so Keith wouldn’t feel smothered by presence. 

A few moments passed, and Keith finally broke the silence.

“I got beat up,” he rasped, and Lance couldn’t help but laugh, earning an angry glare from Keith. 

“I’m not laughing because you got beat up, no, no-” he started, “I’m laughing because after all this,  _ that’s  _ what you start with? Come on, Captain Obvious.” 

Keith gave a small laugh in response, shaking his head.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I just didn’t know how to start.”

“That’s okay. Just tell me what happened.”

“I-I, was waiting tables when a group of burly guys came in. Nyma got them started out with drinks, but they just started shouting at me, calling me all sorts of names, which was whatever.”

Lance didn’t want to press, but he felt curiosity get the better of him, “Like what?” He asked.

“Like homo, and fag, and fairy.” Keith said, wincing. It was obvious that these insults hit home for him, and it dawned on Lance.

“Are you…” The words tumbled out of Lance’s mouth before he could even think about them, and he wanted nothing more than to take it back, but it was too late. Keith nodded ever so slightly and looked away, obviously embarrassed. More than anything, Lance wanted to hug Keith right now, squeeze him so tight that his pain stopped. Keith took a deep breath.

“Shiro kicked them out, but they waited for me. I came out here to take my break, and they…” Keith trailed off and gestured to himself. Lance could feel tears pricking his eyes and swallowed thickly. This was not about him.

Keith got up from the car, turning to face Lance. His nose had stopped bleeding, but his face was still covered in blood, and his eye was swollen shut. 

“I should probably get back, Shiro will be expecting me to--” Keith started towards the restaurant but was stopped when Lance grabbed his arm. Keith glared at Lance and ripped his arm from his grasp.

“You’re not going back in there.” Lance said, more adamant than Keith had ever seen him. “We’re calling the police.”

Keith’s eyes got wide and he began to shake his head. “No, no, no… Shiro will find out that way.” He muttered, crossing his arms across his chest, again averting his eyes.

“Why does that matter?”

“Shiro doesn’t know,” Keith started, “He could fire me for something like this. And…” He trailed off, and Lance heard Keith’s voice get thick, “I really like it here. You guys are the only family I have.”

There was a pause. After thinking for a few moments, and without much hesitation, Lance wrapped his arms around Keith, pulling him in for a tight hug. Keith tensed, but eventually relaxed, wrapping his arms around Lance to reciprocate. They broke apart and Lance held Keith at an arm’s length, looking directly at him.

“Time to go home.”

* * *

Lance hadn’t intended for this to happen.

That night, long after he had dropped off a battered Keith at his apartment, Lance lied awake, unable to sleep. He couldn’t stop thinking about Keith, so utterly  _ broken _ , both physically and mentally. What shattered his heart even further is how well he had dealt with it, like he had experience dealing with this level of hatred. He had hardly even batted an eye.

Keith. Freaking Keith. He couldn’t stop thinking about the him, no matter how hard Lance tried to push him from his mind. Keith didn’t exactly make it easy to stop thinking about him, with his stupid fucking hair and obscenely perfect purple eyes - and oh, how could he forget his shoulder to waist ratio and the way he sometimes tucked himself into a booth and managed to cross his legs…

_ Fuck.  _

Lance knew where this was going. Oh, he was totally screwed.

He glanced at his clock on his bedside table. 2:28 AM - He was going to mark it in his mind as the exact time he realized that he had a crush on none other than Keith fucking Kogane. 

Lance questioned himself for a moment - didn’t he have a strict “no dating assholes” rule? He considered this for a moment before it dawned on him what had changed, what had caused this crush to rise from the dark recesses of his mind and make itself known tonight: He had seen Keith in a whole new light today. Keith was finally, at least in Lance’s mind, not a heartless dick anymore. He had feelings, and they could be hurt. He was human.

Alright. Fine. Lance had a crush on Keith Kogane, but he had to figure out how to get rid of it, and  _ pronto. _ Lance was completely certain that Keith was, and would never be attracted to him. Why would he be, anyway? Keith hadn’t remembered him from school and within twenty four hours of meeting him, Lance had marched up to him and called him a prick. Despite their apologies that day in the parking lot, Keith and him still bickered all the time during their shifts together, and sometimes Lance even made a conscious effort to get under Keith’s skin, and Keith knew that. They were not a compatible match, no matter what had happened that morning. So, despite the crush’s infancy, it was time to throw these feelings in the trash.

Turning over, Lance drifted off to sleep, trying to push Keith Kogane from his mind.

* * *

Keith didn’t come into work for two full days, and as a result, Lance became a nervous wreck. He suffered in silence though -- everyone else seemed unfazed by Keith’s absence, but Lance? Lance felt  _ off. _ While he didn’t miss the almost constant bickering between them, he missed the little things -- Keith’s laugh, the way he would perk up when one of his favorite emo songs played on the radio, the stupid fingerless gloves that he always wore, for whatever reason, and  _ so  _ much more. It was the little things that he missed the most, so when Keith came walking through the doors on the third day, his heart nearly exploded.

Keith still looked worse for wear. His black eye was still very noticeable, but he at least was able to open his eye, which was, albeit, bloodshot. Bruises scattered his body, and there was a particularly large one on his jaw, but at least his face and clothes were clear from the blood he had found him covered in a few days ago. Allura gasped when she first laid eyes on him, and ran from the other side of the counter to hug him. Peeking his head out from the back, Shiro joined her, and soon there was crowd surrounding Keith in the front of the restaurant when Hunk and Matt came out from the kitchen to see what was wrong. Even Pidge looked up from their work in the back, and their mouth flew open, and they too rushed to the front to get a good look at Keith. 

Lance knew all this crowding was exactly what Keith didn’t need or want at the moment, and his suspicions were confirmed when he shot Lance a helpless look. Lance made his way to the front of the diner, and approached the crowd.

“Hey guys, I think Keith needs some space,” Lance said, and Keith looked more than relieved when people began to disperse. A worried aura still hung in the air, and Allura had a face on that screamed  _ “I have so many questions,”  _ but Keith was thankful that Lance had come to his rescue. Turning to put on his apron, he smiled softly at Lance and mouthed, “ _ Thank you.” _

Lance’s stomach did somersaults. He was in some deep shit now.

* * *

It was long past midnight that night, and everyone had gone home except for Keith and Shiro. Sometimes they did this, hung out together for a few hours after closing, just talking. Keith loved these moments - Shiro was truly like a brother to him, and even though they had only known each other a year, Keith felt comfortable enough with Shiro that he could open to up to him about anything. Well... Mostly anything. Tonight was one of those nights, and after  _ The Empire Strikes Back  _ popped up on the television, Keith found himself in an intense debate about the Star Wars franchise with Shiro.

“I really don’t know how you can even  _ say _ that  _ Revenge of the Sith _ is the best movie. That’s sacrilege.” Shiro said with a bit of a laugh, taking a sip of his chocolate milkshake. 

“Out of all the prequels, it definitely was the best one. Plus Anakin is really--” Keith stopped himself mid-sentence. Shiro raised his eyebrows, and Keith felt his mouth go dry. He had just very nearly admitted to his boss that he thought Anakin Skywalker was really hot, and he immediately began to panic.

“Anakin is umm, really badass in that movie, that’s all. Yeah.” Keith said, relieved that he had come up with a good cover in record time. Shiro seemed to accept this answer, and nodded in response. Keith released a breath he didn’t even know he was holding, and absentmindedly un-velcro’ed and re-velcro’ed his gloves.

Shiro slid out of the booth and headed towards the counter, where a stack of mail lay. He began opening letters, skimming through them and throwing out the ones he didn’t need.

“Anything good today?”

“Just the usual.” Shiro said, opening a rather large envelope. He pulled out the letter and read it. There was a long silence as Shiro read and re-read what the letter said, and finally, he looked up at Keith with sad eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Keith asked immediately, standing up and moving to Shiro’s side. Shiro handed him the letter and Keith skimmed through it, feeling his gut drop to the floor.

It was a letter from the office of Governor Zarkon. The state of Texas was closing the diner.


	3. Chapter 3

The walls were crashing in, Keith was sure of it. He felt his breathing shallow and he stared at the letter blankly, letting his mind wreak havoc on itself, thinking of the implications.

Keith wasn’t exactly the greatest at making friends. He knew this. He had always been like this, since he was little, and one time his preschool teacher had to call his then foster parents, concerned about his lack of companionship. Keith was used to being on his own, depending on only himself. It was comfortable.

But Alfor’s? It changed _everything_ for him. He hadn’t expected to be “adopted” by a group of loving, kind people - but they had done just that, and for the first time in his life, Keith felt like he _belonged_ somewhere. Like he had a family.

But just like everything else good in his life, that was about to end too.

Keith glanced at Shiro, who was staring blankly at the wall.

“This is so fucked up.” Keith finally said, breaking the tense silence. Shiro turned to him and just shook his head, returning his gaze to the wall.

“Allura is going to be devastated.” Shiro said, moving to sit on the counter. Keith followed suit and sat on the counter as well, sighing heavily.

Shiro was right. To say that Allura would be devastated was an understatement - the diner was a living, breathing memory of her father, Alfor. He had built the place from the ground up in the late 50s, and had helmed the restaurant until his untimely death in 2006. Alfor’s was the last thing Allura had that was truly her father’s, and she fiercely protected it. She was going to be destroyed by this news.

There it was. Keith felt his anger ascend, and more than anything, he wanted to _scream_. How dare Governor Zarkon try to close this diner, and for what, a highway? This was bullshit. Utter and complete bullshit--

Shiro put a hand on Keith’s shoulder, snapping him out of it. He still felt his anger simmering - but hey, that was a given for Keith. He turned to face Shiro, who looked just as distressed as Keith felt.

“Yeah it’s bullshit, but we’ll fight it. It’s the only thing we can do.”

* * *

As Keith stared down the chair he had just destroyed, he decided his life was officially out of control. He guessed that this was rock bottom - he’d been close to it a couple of times before, but never like this, never to the point where he was destroying furniture over the thought of losing some stupid job. He had thought that kicking the chair to death might help his pent up rage and anxiety, but, much to his dismay, it had not. Now all he had was a terrible sinking feeling in his stomach and a grand total of zero chairs.

Keith pulled his phone out of his pocket. He was tempted to call Shiro, but he figured that would only stress him out more. He was probably breaking the news to Allura as well, and with that in mind, he decided to give them space.

God, he was too sober for this.

Rummaging through his kitchen, he found some leftover beer in his fridge, and cracked one open. It was shitty but he it drank anyway, and after another and another and _another_ , an hour had passed. That’s when he decided: he needed to talk to someone.

This was a new feeling, and one he did not welcome. Growing up being bounced from foster home to foster home had taught him the fine art of “shutting the fuck up and dealing with it,” but tonight was different. Keith was truly on the verge of a mental breakdown, and he was also pretty drunk, so it all made sense. Somehow.

So he texted the only person he could think of.

 

**Keith Kogane (3:14 AM)**

**hey, are you up by chance?**

 

He didn’t expect a response, so he was taken by surprise when his phone chimed almost immediately.

 

**Lance McClain (3:14 AM)**

**yea**

 

**Lance McClain (3:14 AM)**

**are you okay**

 

**Lance McClain (3:14 AM)**

**wait that’s a dumb question**

 

**Lance McClain (3:15 AM)**

**you must not be okay, you’re messaging me**

 

Keith rolled his eyes, typing a response back. Even as drunk as he was, he hesitated for a moment before sending his message, but sent it anyway.

 

**Keith Kogane (3:17 AM)**

**okay, this is going to sound really weird, but do you want to hang out?? like right now**

 

It took Lance a full five minutes to respond.

 

**Lance McClain (3:22 AM)**

**alright you are super not okay if you’re asking for me to come over. i’ll be there in 20 mins**

 

* * *

“Are you drunk?”

Lance showed up with a bottle of vodka, and for the first time in his life, Keith was glad to see him. As he let him in Lance looked around, taking in his apartment.

“I’ll give it to you, the Casa de Keith is a lot cleaner than I expected.”

His eyes wandered until his gaze settled on the broken chair in the corner, and he turned to Keith with raised eyebrows. Keith said nothing, instead opting to take the bottle off of Lance’s hands and head towards his kitchen. Pulling out two shot glasses, he poured the liquor and offered one to Lance, who shook his head.

“I don’t drink that shit straight man, I’m no animal,” Lance said, opening up Keith’s fridge. Keith shrugged in response and took both of the shots in quick succession, and his eyes scrunched up at the taste. Lance watched intently with a disgusted look on his face.

Lance pulled out a bottle of orange juice, and placed it on the counter. Keith handed him a glass from the cabinet and Lance poured himself a drink, turning to Keith after taking a sip from it.

“So tell me what’s going on.” Lance said after a few moments, taking another drink.

“The diner’s closing.”

Lance choked on his drink.

“The diner is _what?_ ”

“Governor Zarkon sent a letter saying he’s closing the diner to build a highway,” Keith said, pouring himself another shot.

“I never liked that guy.” Lance muttered, moving to Keith’s living room. With a huff, he sat down on the couch. Keith stumbled over to the couch, bringing the bottle and a shot glass with him.

Keith was _really_ starting the feel the alcohol now, and as he turned to face Lance, he felt a bit dizzy. Despite this, he reveled in how warm he felt all over, and noticed the sinking feeling in his gut was gone.

“Shiro will fight this though, we all will. There’s appeals and stuff we can file. We’re going to save Alfor’s, I promise.”

Lance. Fucking Lance. Keith stared at the brunette as he spoke - words were coming out of his mouth but Keith wasn’t registering any; instead Keith studied the curves of his lips, the way his collarbone peaked out over his collar, and Keith found himself wondering how Lance’s hair would feel in between his fingers…

_Woah, that’s pretty gay,_ he thought to himself. In the back of his head red alarms were blaring, and he realized how terrible of an idea it was to get drunk and then invite a cute boy over, but he was too far gone to care. He only wanted to do one of two things at that moment: kiss Lance, or dance. He chose the latter, secretly hoping that dancing would lead to the first option.

Keith hoisted himself up and plugged his phone into the speakers. The familiar guitar riffs of “Ocean Avenue” filled the room, and it was certainly loud enough to wake up his neighbors, but Keith didn’t give a shit. He felt better in that moment than he had all night. Keith bobbed his head to the beat and beckoned Lance from the couch.

“You are literally the worst dancer I’ve ever seen.” Lance shouted over the music, all smiles as he approached him. Keith didn’t care though, and sang along to the long since memorized lyrics, as loud and proud as Lance had sang along to “Africa” on his first day.

Lance thought this was hilarious, and pulled out his phone, taking some Snapchats before pocketing it and joining in. Lance couldn’t help it - Keith was too cute to ignore, and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest when Keith grabbed his hands to dance with him.

_“_ If I could find you now things would get better, we could leave this town and run forever! _”_ Keith yelled, looking the absolute happiest Lance had ever seen him. Keith spun him, and Lance could feel his pulse in his throat and his face heat up. Keith must’ve been _very_ drunk to be so candid with Lance.

The song ended, and another came on, and then another. At one point Lance stole control of the music, opting to blast some of his favorites, such as, but not limited to, some Kesha, Shakira, and of _course,_ “All Star.” Keith laughed until he cried when he learned that Lance knew _every_ word of that song, and could recite them without hesitation.

This was the perfect night, in Lance’s wholehearted, kind of drunk opinion. He wasn’t as far gone as Keith but he was getting there, and as they sat on the couch together and watched a movie later that night Lance realized how _lucky_ he was. _Keith fucking Kogane_ had invited him over in the middle of the night and they had gotten drunk and had danced together. This of course was the same Keith he had made faces at for an entire semester over a year ago, the same Keith that made his heart do backflips.

The one that was making his mind scream, _kiss him, kiss him, kiss him,_ as Lance stared at him.

It wasn’t his _fault_ he couldn’t keep his eyes off of Keith. Even just illuminated by the light of the television, he was beautiful. Lance blamed Smirnoff and Keith’s hair for his predicament. Every few seconds Lance would redirect his attention to the movie, (which was, for the record, about _Mothman_ ), but, no matter how hard he tried, his eyes always drifted back to Keith. Surely Keith knew that Lance was staring at him? Whatever the case was, Keith was keeping his cool.

Well, that was, until Lance scooted over and put his head on Keith’s shoulder.

Keith was very thankful that the world couldn’t hear the screams in his mind at that very moment. Sure, he was pretty engrossed in _The Mothman Prophecies_ , but he suddenly found himself unable to focus on anything but Lance. He had taken note that Lance couldn’t stop staring at him before, but he wrote it off as a drunk thing, and decided it was best to pretend it was not happening.

But this? This was hard to ignore.

Keith felt his face start to heat up and his pulse quicken. _Don’t do anything stupid, don’t do anything stupid, don’t do anything stupid,_ he chanted in his head, hoping to any entity that he would actually listen.

After a few minutes Keith felt Lance relax and his breathing even, and much to his relief, it seemed that Lance had drifted off. Keith felt guilty about moving, (plus Lance was pretty cute while he slept), so he elected to leave him as he was until the movie was over. Keith’s eyelids eventually grew heavy, and he found himself leaning his head against Lance’s, closing his eyes for just a second.

And just like that, he was asleep.

* * *

The first thing Lance noticed when he awoke was that everything smelled like Keith. It was comfortable, and Lance opened his eyes to find him and none other than Keith Kogane wrapped around him.

As everything came rushing back to him, he blinked a few times to make sure he wasn’t in his own bed, and that last night’s events hadn’t been some sort of fever dream. Lance took in his surroundings - beer cans littered the living room, the TV was flickering, and there was still a broken chair in the corner that Keith had refused to give any explanation for.

Yep. Last night had _definitely_ happened.

Keith roused from his slumber and stretched, untangling himself from Lance. Lance whined at the loss of contact, and almost reached out for Keith until he stopped himself, starkly remembering that they were _not_ dating and probably never would. There was no need for him to get clingy, as much as he wanted to be.

“Do you need aspirin?” Keith rasped as he headed towards the bathroom. Lance nodded and Keith disappeared, reappearing a few minutes later with a bottle in his hand.

“Thanks.” Lance said as he took two pills, thankful that the throbbing in his head would soon be gone. He couldn’t help but glance at Keith. Lance noticed the little things about him in the morning: like how when he turned his kettle on, Keith would rub the sleep out of his eyes with his fists - just like a child would, or how he wrapped a blanket around himself and his head as he shivered from the morning air, making himself look like a penguin. _God, he is so fucking cute_ , Lance thought to himself as he watched Keith rummage through his cabinets, as he stood on his tip-toes so he could reach the top shelf. He wouldn’t mind waking up to this again.

No. Nope. Not gonna happen. He had to get himself out of this situation, _now._ Before he did something he would regret.

“I should probably, erm, get going.” Lance announced, and Keith whipped around.

“Why?”

“My mom is probably wondering why I’m not home on my day off. Plus, I agreed to help her around the house today.” Lance seamlessly lied, feeling a pang of guilt. He didn’t like lying in general, and especially not to Keith.

Lance grabbed his coat and headed towards the door, doing a quick once over. He looked up at Keith, who looked kind of _sad_ \- but then again, that was his resting face after all - and nodded, before exiting through the door without another word.

Left with nothing but silence in his trashed apartment, Keith brewed himself a cup of instant coffee, and sat down on his couch. Last night’s events spiraled in his head, a hazy slew of dancing and drinking, and he couldn’t help but think that he actually had a genuinely great time. Keith found the sinking feeling in his stomach returning, but this time it wasn’t about the diner, it was about Lance. It always came back to Lance.

Great. Awesome. Fantastic. Keith sipped his coffee and stared at his wall, trying to ignore his stupid, awful, dawning realization: He had a huge fucking crush on Lance McClain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Thank you all SO much for your support and lovely comments! The next chapter is already underway, but its release might be a week or more away - I am moving into my very first apartment, and I will be without wifi/time to write for a few days. Just wanted to let you all know this so you didn't think I forgot about this story! Thank you again for your kind words, and I can't wait to show you all what happens!


	4. Chapter 4

Early that next Monday morning, before the diner opened, Shiro and Allura gathered the entire diner staff to break the news to them. Allura couldn’t even talk, her eyes red rimmed from crying. In a surprisingly even voice, Shiro explained what was happening, and a deafening silence fell upon the diner.

Pidge, the usually quiet one, had been the first to break the silence, crying, “What the  _ fuck? _ ” Everyone had the same general reaction as Pidge - a mixture of puzzlement, anger, and complete and utter sadness. Hunk ran to the bathroom, presumably to throw up - he got that way when he was super anxious or upset.

The rest of the day, the entire diner was a trainwreck. Nyma openly cried while waiting tables, Hunk and Matt messed up over ten orders, and Pidge took up an entire booth, taking down notes and doing research, trying to desperately find some sort of information that might save Alfor’s. Keith felt off too - usually he felt himself fall into a rhythm within the first hour, but today everything felt clunky and unfamiliar, and it kind of reminded him of his first week working. 

On his break, Keith slipped outside, as he normally did. For the first time in a while, he felt like smoking a cigarette - it was a horrible habit he had fallen into when he was in high school, but had broken when he went to college. Sometimes when he got hyper stressed the urge returned, but he was usually able to to push it down. Right now, however, it seemed a little more difficult.

He headed towards the back of the diner, with the idea that maybe someone would be smoking back there and he could bum a cigarette off of them. As he rounded the corner, he instead was greeted with Allura, sitting down, crying against the wall.

Keith didn’t know what to do. He had never been good at dealing with people crying, but he knew he couldn’t just  _ leave _ Allura. Another option was to go get Shiro from inside, but that too would involve abandoning her, even for a few moments, and that idea left a sour taste in his mouth. So, despite having absolutely no idea how to deal with the current situation, he rushed to Allura’s side.

She was curled into herself, head buried in her knees that she had pulled up to her chest. Sobs racked her tiny body and Keith placed a tentative hand on her shoulder. Allura’s head popped up, and she look frightened, but relaxed when she saw it was Keith. She said nothing, instead resting her head on her knees again, taking deep, shaky breaths.

“Hey, hey, hey…” Keith said softly, sitting down next to Allura. He knew he had to say something,  _ anything _ to de-escalate this situation, and hoped instinct would kick in. As he racked his brain for something to say, Allura looked up again, and without hesitation, wrapped her arms around Keith. This took him by great surprise - Keith was never one for hugs after all. He wasn’t one for any of this, really, but hey, he was making it up as he went along.

“I’m going to lose the last bit I have of my father.” Allura eventually rasped in her thick British accent, pulling away from Keith. He felt his heart physically break, and he couldn’t even imagine what Allura must have been feeling in that moment.

“You never truly lose the people you love most.” Keith said and immediately cringed, upset about how tacky that came out. Allura looked at him quizzically and he continued, “It’s stupid and kind of a dumb concept, but it’s true. You carry parts of the people who you love around with you. In your heart. I guess what I’m trying to say, and I’m not saying it very well, is that your father is with you and I’d be willing to bet money that he’s proud of you.” 

Allura smiled weakly, wiping away her tears. She seemed to calm down a bit with the words Keith had said, even if Keith himself considered it to be verbal garbage. He was still glad Allura found some peace in it all though, she deserved at least that. She took some deep breaths and stood up, holding her hand out to Keith. He took it and stood up as well, and after a few moments, Allura hugged Keith again. This time he was a little more prepared and he wrapped his arms around the smaller girl tightly. 

“Thank you.” Allura said, voice muffled as her face was buried in Keith’s shoulder. They broke apart and she looked at him gratefully. Together, they walked back to the front of the diner together, this time in better spirits. As they approached the entrance, Allura paused before opening the front door, turning to Keith.

“You know Keith, we’re really proud of you too.”

* * *

 

There was something up with Keith. Lance was embarrassed to note in his head that he had pretty much memorized Keith’s mannerisms - hell, he had memorized  _ everything  _ about Keith, from his stupid mullet to the way he played with his gloves when he got nervous. With this in mind, he definitely knew that Keith was off.

In the three weeks since the letter had arrived, things had slowly but surely returned to relative normal. Matt and Hunk went back to kicking ass in the kitchen, and after a few days, Pidge was able to table their emotions and get back to keeping up the books. Even as upset as Shiro and Allura were, they ensured that things were business as usual until something was figured out. And Lance? It had been a struggle, but he had figured it out, got back into his groove. Everybody had fallen back into their respective slot. 

Except for Keith.

Keith was  _ quiet _ . Okay, he was usually quiet, but still. Even when he wasn’t speaking, he was expressive, engaged. Now he just stared at things blankly, and showed even less emotions than he had shared before - and before he was sharing the bare minimum. Maybe Lance was crazy, or reading too far into things, but Keith seemed disconnected from everything, going through the motions of work and then doing God knows what when he got home - probably assaulting more chairs.

Lance took note of all this and tried his best to interact with Keith as much as he could. Fully aware that it probably annoyed the shit out of him, Lance timed his breaks around Keith’s so he wouldn’t be alone, and even went as far as to intentionally take closing shifts with him, which he dreaded.

It was just Keith, Hunk, Matt, and Lance closing one night, and Lance could tell that Keith was having a worse day than usual. He had been short with customers all throughout his shift, and Shiro had to pull him aside to tell him to knock it off. That had put Keith in an even worse mood.

After a full night of unsuccessfully managing to get Keith alone for a few moments so he could talk to him, Lance saw his chance. Hunk and Matt had headed home for the night, and Keith was alone in the kitchen, solemnly washing dishes. Lance slipped into the kitchen quietly.

“Hey buddy, so tell me--”

Keith whipped around, dropping the dish he had been washing on the ground. It shattered and he swore loudly, leaning down to pick up the pieces of the plate. As Keith picked up a shard it cut his hand, and this time, Keith swore even louder, turning to look at Lance. 

“Don’t just stand there, get me a rag or something!” Keith roared, looking as if he was ready to explode. Lance quickly flew into action, running to the office and back to grab the first aid kit. Lance rummaged through it until he found some gauze, and applied it tenderly to Keith’s bleeding hand. Keith sucked in a breath of air, obviously in pain, and Lance’s gut dropped. The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt Keith more than he already had. Fuck.

“I cannot fucking  _ believe  _ this…” Keith muttered, looking down at his hand. He continued to babble on about how awful life was, which was a typical Keith move, but Lance couldn’t hear him, mainly because he was finally  _ looking  _ at Keith, close up, and he was alarmed with what he saw. Keith looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes. He was gaunter than usual as well, as if he hadn’t been eating enough as well, and Lance’s gut dropped. 

Keith’s eyes met his and Lance noticed they were red-rimmed with tears threatening to pour out. Without hesitation, Lance pulled Keith into his arms tightly. Keith remained stock-still, and Lance finally spoke, “It’s okay to not be okay, Keith.” Lance felt the other boy tense even further in his embrace.

“I’m okay.” Keith rasped, his voice thick. He tried to push away but Lance held him even tighter, causing Keith to practically growl, “Get off of me!” Lance immediately let go, and Keith stood up, facing the wall. Keith was shaking. 

“Keith…” Lance murmured, reaching out to gently take the other boy’s hand. Keith immediately intertwined their fingers, and Lance tried desperately to calm the butterflies that emerged in his stomach. Now was definitely not the time.

“I’m not okay.” Keith finally spoke, and much to Lance’s surprise, he practically wrapped himself around Lance, burying his head in the crook of his neck. Lance could feel the sobs wrack Keith’s body and tears pricked his eyes.

“This is so stupid, holy shit.” Keith said, allowing himself to be held. Lance wrapped his arms around Keith, softly threading his fingers through the other boy’s raven hair. Keith sighed at the feeling, and while his breathing was still uneven, his sobs stopped. “I’m sorry--”

“It’s fine, Keith. Just breathe.” Lance murmured, and for once Keith listened. Lance felt him attempt to take slow, steady breaths, and while he didn’t totally succeed, the effort was enough to center him.

“Fucking Zarkon can’t do this.” Keith said after a few moments into Lance’s neck, his voice cracking with the effort. “And Allura...” Keith’s voice trailed off and he released a small muffled scream into Lance’s neck.

After a few more tense moments, Keith officially stopped sobbing, and a silence fell upon the kitchen. Keith’s breathing seemed to had gone back to normal as well, much to Lance’s relief. Still, he was at a loss for words. So often Lance had the impulse to help people in need, give all he could to alleviate their problem. This wasn’t a problem he could fix, this was going to take work, and it would probably get worse before it got better, Lance realized. He flinched at the very idea.

“I’m sorry.” Keith apologized again, breaking Lance’s train of thought. Lance shook his head and squeezed the other boy tightly.

“Please don’t apologize for having emotions. We all have them.” Lance said quietly, and he felt Keith nod. Keith pulled out of his embrace, wiping his eyes, hand still bloodied. He looked absolutely wrecked, in Lance’s professional opinion, and before thinking about it, Lance took off his shirt and wrapped it around Keith’s hand. Busy tending to Keith’s wound, Lance missed the sharp intake of breath from Keith, and the blush that rose in his cheeks. 

Keith realized, starkly, that this was the second time that Lance had literally given him the shirt off his back. 

“You need to go home, get some rest.” Lance said, reaching into his pocket, fishing for his keys. “I’ll drive you.” Keith immediately went to object, but Lance placed a single finger over his mouth. 

“Nope, no way you’re driving, Kogane. Not with a hand like that. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning so you can get your car too, that way you won’t have to pay for an Uber and all.”

Keith merely nodded in response, suddenly too exhausted to object.

* * *

 

“Please, for the love of everything holy, stop calling this thing ‘The McClain Mobile.’”

This wasn’t the first time that Lance had driven Keith home -- that had been the black eye incident -- but they hadn’t had been on as good of terms as they were now. Lance felt comfortable enough this time to strike up conversation on the way home, instead of allowing a deafening silence to fall upon his car.

“I love that name, it’s very clever.”

“No it’s not.”

“Can it, Mullet.”

This earned a laugh from Keith. Lance couldn’t believe it, it was like Keith had done a one-eighty, going from Threat Level Midnight mental breakdown status back to their stupid banter in less than an hour. Lance didn’t know how he did it, usually when he broke down like that he needed at least a day and a bubble bath to recover. Keith had bounced back like it was nothing.

Lance took his eyes off the road for a second, stealing a glance at the boy next to him. Keith still looked wrecked, his hair greasy and dark circles rimmed his eyes, but he exuded a new energy, one that Lance hadn’t felt from him in a while. By no means did Lance think that Keith was cured -- after all, these things don’t get fixed overnight, but he was almost thankful that Keith had had a breakdown, rather, a chance to release all his pent up emotions.

“You doing okay?” Lance asked, turning his attention back to the road. He saw Keith nod in his peripheral, and Lance felt content enough with his answer.

“Thanks again.” Keith said, a serious tone in his voice. 

“Of course.”

Without warning, Keith gently took Lance’s hand that was resting on on the center console into his own, squeezing it. Feeling the heat rise in his neck, Lance tried to keep his attention on driving, but it became increasingly harder as soon as he realized that Keith was not going to let go of his hand any time soon. Lance tried not to think about how perfect it felt, how  _ good _ this could all be. If he had it his way, he would be pulling over and making out with Keith so quick…

The road. Fuck. The road.

Keith didn’t let go of Lance’s hand for the rest of the drive. Instead, their hands rested in between them peacefully, as if there was some unspoken agreement between them that it was better this way. 

Lance parked in front of Keith’s apartment. He fully expected Keith to leave without saying a word - that was the way it was last time - so he was a little more than shocked when Keith turned to him, purple eyes shining in the light of the street lamps. 

“Thanks. For listening.” Keith said. Without thinking, Lance brushed a strand of Keith’s hair to the side. A silence fell upon the car and Lance was frozen, actually  _ frozen _ . He had never been like this around any other person before, normally this stuff was  _ easy, _ but Keith? Keith was the exact opposite of easy in every possible way.

“It’s really no problem.” Lance squeaked out, tensing. He cleared his throat and covered with a cough, hoping that would help some. Why was he  _ like this? _ Keith merely nodded, and opened the car door. As he slipped out, he turned back one last time, sticking his head into the car.

“See you around.”

And just like that, he was gone.

* * *

 

“Pidge, go to bed.”

It wasn’t unusual for Pidge to be up all hours of the night, much to their mother’s (and Matt’s) dismay. Pidge couldn’t help it, it was just in their nature after all. They’ve never met a tech geek that didn’t spend all hours of the night taking apart computers, after all. This was their  _ calling _ .

Matt stood in the doorway, wiping sleep out of his eyes. Pidge can’t imagine what he’s doing up at this hour, the guy has a religious eleven o’clock bedtime, even at the ripe old age of twenty five. He probably got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and saw the light coming out from the bottom of the door. 

“I’m busy.” Pidge said, taking a bite from their Eggo waffle fluffernutter sandwich. Matt, bless his heart, just stares at their dish, and blinks a couple of times before closing the door and retreating. Typical.

Pidge turned their attention back to the computer. Normally, on nights like these, they would get lost in coding and suddenly it would be five in the morning, but not tonight, or in fact, not for the last few weeks - Pidge had instead been furiously researching about what to do to save Alfor’s. At this point, they would do practically anything to save the place, and that included crafting many appeal letters to Zarkon’s office, all of which have gone unanswered.

They clicked around a little bit more, yawning. It was four in the morning, Pidge realized as they checked the time in the corner of their laptop. Maybe they should head off to bed soon... 

Wait.

Right in the corner of their eye, they see a tiny hyperlink. They click on it, and quickly read through the page. Pidge goes still.

They know how to save the diner. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I'm back from the dead!
> 
> In all seriousness, to be real with you, I am a senior in college, and while I thought I could balance writing and school, it was much harder than expected. I'm going to try my hardest to get this story finished up during my winter break. Thank you for sticking with me, and enjoy the rest of Alfor's!


	5. Chapter 5

Keith wasn’t entirely sure how he had ended up on the roof watching the sunrise that morning. Well, that was a lie, he knew _exactly_ how he had gotten up here, he had stayed up all night after all, tossing and turning and thinking about yesterday’s events, how _stupid_ he had been, how he had mortified himself around _Lance_ of all people. In a fit of frustration he had left his apartment completely, climbing up to the roof to stare at the stars like he always did when he felt lost, and instead found himself a little shocked to discover that he had indeed spent all night worrying about his meltdown from earlier.

How could he had let his guard down like that? How could he have been so _dumb?_

Keith was embarrassed to think about how much Lance’s stupid opinion meant to him, how much a hold he had on his heart. Fuck, that sounds stupid, but double fuck, it was _true._ With every passing day, Keith could feel this seemingly little crush snowballing into something worse, and while he spent at least forty percent of his working brainpower at any time trying to push it down, it was growing bigger with every moment he spent with Lance fucking McClain.

It’s not like Keith had even a remote clue on how to date. Sure, he had a girlfriend in high school, but that never _meant_ anything, especially now that he was in college and had read the writing on the wall. At parties he had hooked up with a couple of guys, but that was all casual. Plus, that had all gone away the second he had dropped out, after all. Keith hadn’t ever _had_ these types of feelings about anyone, never imagined what someone’s palm would feel like in his, never felt the almost unstoppable impulse to kiss someone else when they stood a little _too_ close to him. _What had gotten into him?_

He was a mess of emotions, and for the first time probably since foster care, Keith felt so far out of control that he wanted to throw something.

The sun crept up ever higher from the horizon, and Keith wrapped the blanket around him a little tighter. From his pocket, he felt his phone buzz, and carefully, as to not undo his cocoon he had so carefully built around himself, he grabbed his phone and unlocked it. He had a string of missed texts from Lance, and he scrolled down to the last one:

 

**Lance McClain (6:20 AM)**

**i’m outside**

 

Keith blinked a few times, re-reading his message before panic set in. As he scrolled up and read the previous messages, it dawned on Keith that he had indeed left his car at Alfor’s yesterday in the midst of his semi-public breakdown, and Lance was here to pick him up.

* * *

The first thing Lance noticed about Keith that morning is the fact that he was wearing the same exact outfit as he had the day before, blood spattered shirt and all. His hand was hastily wrapped up in ball of gauze and -- _scotch tape?_ Keith looked utterly wrecked, as bad he had the night before… No, no, _worse._

“Keith.”

“Yes?”

“You can’t go to work looking like that.” Lance said plainly. Keith looked down at his shirt, and examined the makeshift splint he had made himself. His brows furrowed, and he pulled out his phone, checking his appearance in the front-facing camera.

“Oh god.”

“Yeah.” Lance said, glancing at the clock on the dashboard. There really wasn’t much time for Keith to go back and shower, they were opening in just over thirty minutes. Lance wished Keith could just call in sick, but Shiro would probably be upset - they were usually pretty crowded in the mornings, and the last thing Keith needed was someone, especially Shiro, mad at him.

“I have a change of clothes in the trunk, you can wear that.”

Keith turned Lance, his cheeks heating up. He tried to keep it together as much as possible, but _him,_ in _Lance’s_ clothes? It seemed like a line he wouldn’t dare cross, and if he did something horrible would happen.

“I can just run upstairs--”

“We don’t have time, Keith. We have to get going. We’re going to be late if we keep debating this.”

“Alright.” Keith averted his gaze out the window. He tapped his foot anxiously as the car began to move, and took some deep breaths. He would survive this, even if the clothes smelt like Lance. Which they would, obviously, right? Oh shit, everything would smell like that weird cologne that he likes to wear that Keith has grown fond of--

Fuck fuck fuck fuck.

* * *

 

Loaning Keith clothes was simultaneously the best and worst decision Lance has ever made. On one hand it was great, because as soon as Keith changed, he looked fairly normal. These days, Shiro was too stressed out to notice the fine details, so he didn’t so much as give Keith a second glance when he emerged from the bathroom, clad in Lance’s clothing.

On the other hand though, it _wrecked_ Lance. See, it’s one thing to lend clothes to a friend, right? That’s fine. But to see the boy that he had a huge stupid crush on galavanting around their place of work dressed in his clothes? Shit.

(Plus, it _really_ didn’t help that Keith had pulled his hair back -- something Lance didn’t know he needed in his life until _right fucking now._ )

Keith completely and utterly ruined his groove too. Lance couldn’t _focus_ around him, missing things in orders because his line of sight always seemed to settle on the way his gray and blue baseball shirt hugged Keith’s sides, or the way Lance’s jeans were just a _little_ too long for him, so he had to cuff them--

“If you’re done eye-fucking Keith, I think Matt has an order for you.” Pidge said quietly as they passed Lance, who had been cleaning the same section of countertop for just over five minutes now. Lance snapped out of it immediately.

“Hey--!”

“Why are you booing me? I’m right.” Pidge shrugged, and wheeled around, back to their post in the back booth of the diner. Keith looked up from his lunch, and pulled out one of his earbuds.

“Everything okay?”

Lance’s mouth went dry and he put on his best smile.

“Yeah, totally, I just, uh, have to grab an order from Matt!” Lance exclaimed, almost tripping over himself as he booked it to the kitchen.

This was a fucking disaster.

* * *

 

Keith was one hundred percent correct in his assumption that everything would smell like Lance’s cologne.

He didn’t mind it one bit.

* * *

 

Pidge had called an emergency meeting at the end of that day. Keith shift’s had ended hours earlier, but he had stuck around -- partially because he didn’t mind, and partially because Lance had elected to stay as well.

He was whipped for someone he wasn’t even dating. Whatever.

Pidge sat atop atop a table, feet dangling, laptop balanced perilously in their lap. Everyone was very curious to see what Pidge had in store for them, especially Shiro, who had seemed especially exasperated when they had _insisted_ they all gather for a meeting at the end of shift.

“Alright fam, we are gathered here tonight because I figured out how we’re saving this place.”

Shiro raised his eyebrows. “Go on.” He said, and Pidge typed furiously on their keyboard before turning the screen to everyone. Silence fell upon the diner as everyone took in what exactly Pidge was showing them.

“You want to turn this place into a _historical landmark?_ ” Hunk commented.

 _“How?”_ Allura asked.

“Listen, I know this sounds crazy. But _look_.” Pidge replied, and pointed to a paragraph on their screen:

 

**Properties that represent some great idea or ideal of the American people.**

 

_This criterion relates to properties that represent an overarching ideal unique to the United States. This ideal could be a belief, principle, or goal. The application of this criterion requires the most careful scrutiny and applies only in rare instances._

 

They sat in stunned silence.

“This is ambitious, Pidge.” Shiro said after a few moments, and Pidge only smiled in reply.

“Ambition is my middle name, Shiro.”

“No, it’s--”

“One more word, and I swear to God, Matt.”

They pressed a few buttons and pulled up a word document.

“Whatever. I’ve already started filling out the paperwork. I think this could really work. Alfor’s is culturally significant to this area. This place _is_ the American Dream, family owned and operated for just about sixty years. Everybody in the area knows this place, and I’m sure we could get a petition going. We have regular customers. People _care_ about this place.”

Shiro nodded in response, a smile plastered on his face.

“Pidge, this is brilliant.” Allura said, wiping away tears. Hunk got up and wrapped them in a bear hug, and all of the employees got up to join the big group hug.

Except for Keith.

He should be happy, he thought, but instead he felt familiar anger and anxiety bubbling in his chest. His mind was racing, and as quietly as he could, he slipped away from the crowd and out the front door.

He sat atop his car, chewing the inside of his cheek. Tears pricked his eyes, but this time he pushed his emotions down. This was not happening, not again. Keith’s thoughts, of course, were catastrophic -- they always were. There simply was no conceivable reality where this stupid fucking plan would work. The words “the application of this criterion requires the most careful scrutiny and applies only in rare instances” rolled around in his head, mocking him.

Keith couldn’t accept the reality where he lost this life he had.

He pulled his knees up to his chest, and only stirred when he felt a hand on his back. His hands already in fists, Keith turned to see Lance next to him.

“Hey, what’s wrong buddy?” Lance asked innocently. Keith felt his blood pressure rise even higher.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Keith growled, and Lance retracted his hand. He stared at Keith with a soft look on his face -- not one of pity, but one of actual, genuine concern. Keith’s stomach dropped. He took a jagged breath. His resolve around Lance was almost zero, and he fucking hated it.

“What if this doesn’t work?” Keith practically whispered, his voice hoarse. Just like the night before, Lance intertwined their fingers but this time, Keith could feel relief flow through him. For someone who never really shut up, Lance was silent for once, and he gently embraced Keith. Much to even his surprise, Keith accepted the contact, and he buried his head in the crook of Lance’s neck, breathing deeply.

“It will. You’re not going to lose us, Keith.” Lance murmured.

Keith wanted to believe him so bad.

There were a few fundamental truths about life, in Keith’s not-so-professional opinion. One is that Mothman is real, and he’s out there. Another is that pineapple belongs on pizza. But most importantly, the biggest thing he’s learned about life is that people leave, all the time. So yeah, he was going to lose everyone he cared about at that stupid fucking diner -- it was never a matter of _if_ , just _when_.

That included Lance.

Keith moved to study his face. It was littered in freckles, big and small, and his blue eyes shone in the moonlight. He was beautiful like this, _fuck_ , he was beautiful all the time, and Keith didn’t want to lose that. He didn’t want to lose any of this.

Then his lips were on Lance’s.

Lance drew a sharp breath in, and Keith tried to pull back because _fuck fuck fuck,_ he had _royally_ fucked things up, but much to his surprise, Lance leaned into the kiss.

He was kissing Lance. The world was not ending. Keith was kissing Lance, and nothing was imploding, there were no sirens overhead, and things were _good._ For the first time in a long time he forgot about everything -- foster care, the diner closing, his fear of Shiro finding out, _all of it_ . He wanted to live in this moment forever, his lips slotting against Lance’s like they were meant to be there all along. This was what he was waiting for, and it was so, so _good._

Keith pulled back, mostly to breathe, and he rested his forehead against Lance’s. They stayed like that for what seemed like forever, both of them totally relaxed, enjoying the moment. Lance drew incoherent patterns into Keith’s back, and Keith hummed contently, moving his head back to the crook of Lance’s neck.

Then Lance froze.

Keith immediately picked his head up and followed Lance’s line of sight, his blood running cold. His worst fear had been confirmed: outside the main entrance of the diner was the entire staff, just _staring._ Keith wasn’t sure how much they had all saw, but by the looks of the shit-eating grin on Pidge and Hunk’s faces, they had seen enough.

Enough to get him fired.

Keith wanted to scream. Smash something. Punch his hand against the wall until it bled. He hadn’t wanted to lose these people so desperately that he had gone and fucked it all up for himself in one fell swoop, for what, a guy? For fucking Lance McClain, no less.

“Get off my car.” Keith said, his teeth gritted. He officially had no job, no friends, and not even a degree to get him by. Keith had lost everything in just a few seconds, and his head was spinning. Lance immediately obeyed, and backed up from the car. Without making eye contact, Keith slid off the hood and moved to the driver’s side, shoving his keys in the ignition. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes, but Keith pushed the urge down, put the car into reverse and sped out of the parking lot without a second thought.

His life was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! It's my spring break, so I was able to get this chapter out for you all! (Don't worry - chapter 6 is very much underway!) I'm sorry I haven't been the greatest at getting chapters out in a timely manner, I am finishing a degree this semester and I spend most of my free time worrying about the future! Please know I haven't forgotten or given up on this fic though, it is still very much in my mind. Thank you all for sticking with Alfor's, it means the WORLD to me!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Chapters will be released as quickly as possible. 
> 
> Big thanks to [Lauren,](http://laurensscribbles.tumblr.com/) my beta reader. You are the greatest best friend I could ask for. 
> 
> Also - thank you [Kian,](http://januarysember.tumblr.com/) my other beta reader, who has shown nothing but enthusiasm for this project since the second I told them about it. 
> 
> Special thanks also to my baby sister, [Erin](http://bowflakes.tumblr.com/) for not only being my favorite family member, but also a guiding light for this fic. I couldn't have done any of this without you.


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